Kubota meets emission standards on entire diesel engine range

Kubota’s entire range of diesel engines now meets and exceeds US and EU emission regulations after its new V3800-TI and V6108-TI models achieved EU Stage IV / US EPA Tier4 Final certification.

Kubota's V3800-TI non-road diesel engine.

The company’s current range of engines below 56kW already meet the latest regulations, but with new emission regulations for non-road diesel engines with an output range between 56kW and 130kW coming into effect in 2015, Kubota needed this latest certification to stay ahead of the game.

"This latest certification for our diesel engines between 56kW and 130kW is another major milestone for our team and one that we are extremely proud of," Kubota Business Development Manager for Engines Daniel Grant says.

The new engine models have been certified by the European Union (EU), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and, most recently, by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). These engines will be mass produced for the engine market from October 2014 and will also be installed in Kubota tractors and construction machinery.

There are no national emissions regulations for non-road diesel engines in Australia.

In its August 2014 report ‘Reducing emissions from non-road diesel engines’, the New South Wales EPA said: "Whereas the on-road diesel sector is subject to increasingly stringent national emission standards for new vehicles and to various state and territory implemented programs for in-service vehicles, no national regulations have been issued in Australia for the non-road diesel engines sector.

"Furthermore, emissions from in-service non-road diesel engines and equipment have remained largely unregulated and unaddressed, with the exception of regulations for underground mining equipment and the NSW Clean Machine Program (small-scale, voluntary program). NSW is the only state to implement such a program."

The agency goes on to say that, while Australia has benefited from the importation of cleaner engines compliant with non-road diesel emission standards issued by the US, EU and other jurisdictions, "a review of the emission performance of new engines and equipment being sold into the Australian non-road diesel market indicates that a significant proportion of units are non-compliant or are lagging in compliance relative to units being sold into the US and EU."

The higher cost of engines with the latest US and EU compliance certificates means their uptake in Australia is not as high as desired, the NSW EPA said, adding that, in fact, "the number of ‘dirtier’ engines and equipment being sold into Australia may increase as other countries introduce or tighten regulations and manufacturers seek alternative markets".

The Stage IV and Tier 4 Final emission regulations are very stringent, requiring a nitrogen oxide (NOx) reduction of about 90 percent in comparison with the current regulations, Kubota’s Grant says.

"To ensure our engine solutions exceed these targets, we have adopted selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for NOx reduction and integrated this technology together with Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) to comply," he says. "This has been done without compromising the compact design or output and performance of our new engine models, which in some cases, has increased."